


A Fated Family

by sanbika



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: BAMF Allura (Voltron), Canon Compliant, Character of Faith, Friendship, Gen, Homesick Lance (Voltron), Hurt Lance (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, Leader Allura, Season 2 Continuation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-18
Updated: 2017-03-18
Packaged: 2019-05-05 22:25:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14628297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanbika/pseuds/sanbika
Summary: The observation deck was one of Allura’s least favorite place to be, if she was honest with herself. The star maps were beautiful and reinforced how vast and complex the universe really was. But it was also a reminder of the many beacons, red for emergency and green for safety, that were floating out there relying on her and her paladins. How much was truly riding on their efforts.





	A Fated Family

**Author's Note:**

> Lance's faith is based on my experience and my friends'. Also, the migraine/headache thing is my problem, but Lance is easy to vent through.

The observation deck was one of Allura’s least favorite place to be, if she was honest with herself. 

The star maps were beautiful and reinforced how vast and complex the universe really was. 

But it was also a reminder of the many beacons, red for emergency and green for safety, that were floating out there relying on her and her paladins. How much was truly riding on their efforts.

It was a reminder, as painful as it was to admit, of how her father had failed not only their planet but the entire universe by hiding away its greatest defender out of fear. 

And it was a reminder of the responsibility she was willingly placing on herself; how she was marrying herself to a vocation of protection and defense against evil. 

She didn’t have a planet or a family who relied on her, although Coran was more than a friend at this point, something between a father-figure and a brother-in-arms. 

Allura was comfortable in the role she had chosen for herself. Her family was the universe; her destiny hidden in tiny planets and outposts among the stars. Coran, too, had agreed to marry himself to justice. 

Losing everything meant that they felt, in a way few others could, a desperation and a hunger to prevent such tragedy from occurring again. War was the enemy. Fear. Isolation. 

But she wasn’t sure how she felt when she considered that her destiny was intertwined with five others, five who were more than friends, her fated but not chosen family. 

Five whose destinies may not always lead to the stars, at least not forever. 

Coming to the observation deck always pushed that thought to the front of her mind, wondering how and when to discuss the topic of long-term plans. Whether she needed to ask if the paladins were as committed to abolishing evil as her, or whether they were only committed to abolishing Zarkon. 

The paladins of the past were not defined by a specific evil. They were called to fight against injustice, to risk their lives for any, for all. But her paladins… did they truly understand that?

Today had been no different. Allura needed to focus on these troublesome thoughts and she needed to let them go, for a time. The star maps let her take her moment and release the worries she hid away. 

But she wasn’t alone. The lights were dimmed, so she hadn’t seen him at first, and he clearly hadn’t seen her, his body still folded over itself in front of the maps, hands wrapped around his head, gently and firmly massaging his scalp. 

Her heart clenched and her thoughts turned again to her father, wondering whether he had guilt over the wounds his soldiers had gotten in the line of duty and how he would have handled it. 

Though they had managed to get Lance in a healing pod after the Castle Ship had been overrun by Galra, they hadn’t done it in time to save him from long-term effects of concussions, a disturbing human affliction. So unlike the Alteans, so fragile, really. Allura ached when she considered how much these humans were risking for her mission.

And besides that, the pods were meant to heal Alteans from life-threatening trauma: swelling, blood loss, breaks, ruptures, wounds. It wasn’t necessarily meant to heal other problems. 

Things like diseases or infections, for example, wouldn’t heal, though Coran, Pidge, and Hunk were excitedly working hard to hopefully configure them to do just that. “Think of what we could do on Earth with this tech!”

Regardless of the possibilities of Altean healing technology, the fact remained that she had gotten complacent and as a result Lance faced real pain for the rest of his life. Besides the thankfully infrequent severe headache he experienced, Lance also dealt with vertigo and dizziness, sudden mood swings, and difficulty focusing or getting easily confused. 

All of which had affected him during training, and, just once, in battle. The mood on the ship was grim; Keith and Pidge frustrated by the errors and Hunk protective of his best friend while Shiro hovered between understanding and anxious.

Lance had only become more aware of his perceived deficiencies, training harder and withdrawing from the group when he was affected. Pidge told him that things should even out eventually, he should even be able to predict when he was about to suffer a migraine or an episode, but thus far they’d proven to be random and of varying strength. 

To see him hunched and trembling, normally so tall and bursting with wiry strength….

Allura allowed herself to feel the fullness of her guilt, if only in solidarity with Lance’s pain. 

“I wish I could take that pain for you,” she found herself saying in a very soft voice.

He turned then, grimacing, and wrestling one eye open only to turn back towards the star maps. 

“No, you really don’t,” he replied, managing a chuckle. 

“May I sit with you?” Allura allowed a bit of her authority bleed into her voice. She really and truly didn’t want Lance to suffer alone.

He moved a little so there was more space and she gracefully sat down, resting a gentle hand on his shoulder. 

“Is there anything I can do?”

Lance managed to turn towards her again, eyes bright blue despite the dim light. Or perhaps because of it. 

“I don’t think so. ’M testing a pain killer those nuts cooked up. Hunk tested it on himself. Said it works. Guess we’ll see.” He always spoke like this when afflicted with the headaches, clipped and efficient. It was so unlike him that Allura’s heart sunk. 

She noticed a necklace clasped in his hands, the beads and chain pressing against his unruly hair.

“What is that, Lance? Something sparkly for me?”

The pilot chuckled. 

“No, Mama’s rosary. Gave it to me when I left for the Garrison. Said she knew I’d do great things and wanted me to be protected.” 

His face grew somber for a moment, “It’s like she knew… she had this look… like she knew I wouldn’t see her for a long time.”

“May I see it?” Allura offered her palm to him, and he dropped the jewelry into her hand. 

It was a series of glass beads on a some kind of metal chain. At the end was a silver cross with a man on it and a medal of a woman, her arms outstretched. 

The princess gazed at the woman, feeling drawn to the gentle face. 

“Who is this? Your mother?”

At that Lance laughed outright before clutching his head and grunting a little. 

Allura gasped, “My apologies, should I go? I do not want to cause you any more pain.”

He put a hand on her arm, “No.. stay… company’s nice… I mean, it’s not that bad.”

He managed a smile at her, one of his real ones before turning his gaze to the star maps and sitting up a little. Allura hoped that this meant the medication was working.

“That’s Maria, not my mom. Could say she’s not JUST my mom. I mean. In my religion, she’s all our mother, she’s the mother of God,” he pointed at the cross, “and my Mama loves her so much. Told me I could always ask her for help. No matter what I did or where I go.”

The princess nodded slowly. Altea... didn’t really have a religion. They had been a scientific race. they had believed in magic to a limited extent in that they believed quintessence was a force that could not be understood. But they had not ascribed persons or a creator to it. They had been content believing that the universe was too vast to completely understand and to respect it by learning with humility was enough. The idea of religions, of definitions, was fascinating to her, and she eagerly learned from her paladins their concepts and opinions of creation and belief. 

She had to admit that it was nice to imagine a loving mother who was always there for her.

“So do you ask her?”

Lance looked confused for a moment before he realized what she meant. He had to concentrate hard to keep his train of thoughts during and after these attacks. 

“You mean ask Maria for help? Never used to… it wasn’t for me. I mean, I was happy to… make my mom happy. Do what she wanted. But I never really thought about it for myself. It wasn’t my belief, it was Mama’s….”

Allura glanced down at the beads, feeling as though Lance was struggling with something. The beads were glass but not perfectly round, some chips smoothed over and worn soft. 

“But now, I feel like everything I was sure of… the universe, my purpose, all that’s changed. It isn’t hard for me to believe maybe Mama was right. My purpose is here protecting the universe, protecting Earth and my family…. maybe she really did know that when she gave her rosary to me… when I see all the stars and the planets, it’s hard for me to reject the idea that we all have some purpose. And maybe… Maria really is watching over me since Mama can’t.”

Lance dropped his face then. Allura didn’t look up, recognizing his hitching breaths as a need for privacy. 

Allura spoke delicately. “I think that is a lovely thought, Lance. Perhaps you can ask her to watch over me too. I do not have a mother here either, none of us do.”

She heard a watery chuckle before he answered, “You’re right, princess, I shouldn’t forget that either. We all need a mother now.”

“Is your head feeling better?” She ventured as she passed the rosary back to him, gently rubbing her thumb over the medal.

The paladin nodded slowly, “Kind of a dull ache now but not nearly as bad as before. I’ve gotta thank Hunk for whatever magic he cooked up. And maybe rehydrate and sleep so I’m useful tomorrow and not a waste of space.”

Allura rose and offered him a hand, pulling him up, “That is the spirit, paladin. Getting plenty of rest and fluids should help you recover nicely! Although you are not ever a waste of space, you should know that by now!”

Lance smiled wryly as he put the rosary back over his head, tucking it neatly under his shirt, “Now you’re starting to sound like a mom, Princess!”

She flushed before pinching him neatly on the arm. Walking side by side, Lance turned to look at his planet one more time before the star map flickered off as they left the room.

“‘It’s funny. My mom always got these migraines… She didn’t hit her head or anything but still got them, sometimes really bad. She couldn’t get out of bed. Too sick. But she would still take care of us when Dad was out working. She could do it. If she can… I know I can too.”

Allura bit her lip, “You must get your bravery from her, Lance. And if you would ever like company when you get a headache like this, I would be happy to be there for you.”

Lance flushed a little but his small smile warmed her heart. 

He was, they all were, her family now and while she couldn’t protect them from injury, she could be with them and help them through their pains. Allura knew her father would be proud.

**Author's Note:**

> Check out my [tumblr!](https://figandmelon.tumblr.com)


End file.
